Are you in pain? Pauline Vaughan, a newly arrived acupuncturist in Iqaluit, may be able to help you. (Photo courtesy of David Murphy)
You might not expect to find a place in the Arctic that specializes in acupuncture, a traditional Chinese treatment.
But there’s a new acupuncture clinic in Iqaluit, located by Nunavut Hair Studio off Federal Highway.
Inside, you can hear music played by Chinese wind instruments in the background of Pauline Vaughan’s new acupuncture clinic, called True North Acupuncture Studio.
Much like his music, Vaughan speaks in a gentle, rhythmic manner. Don’t be afraid to pause for a few seconds to collect your thoughts before speaking, and don’t raise your voice more than necessary.
This further increases the comfort of Vaughn’s patients at the new clinic, which specializes in community acupuncture.
“This is basically the way acupuncture is done in China and Japan in community rooms where people gather,” Vaughan said.
Acupuncture involves inserting pins into the skin to treat pain, anxiety, depression, mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and even addictions such as allergies and smoking.
Established thousands of years ago, this form of Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on the idea that a life force called Qi flows through 12 invisible “meridians” or channels within the body.
When the flow of Qi is stopped through the meridians, Vaughn explains, pins inserted into these channels act like keys to open the flow of Qi, reducing symptoms.
“I think even after studying acupuncture for four years, I still had that feeling of, ‘What is this?’ But then we see that it works over and over again,” Vaughn said.
“People don’t know what to expect from acupuncture. But I say this is medicine, not religion. You don’t have to believe it.”
Four reclining chairs with bedsheets are placed in each corner of the clinic so Vaughn can see multiple patients at once.
“This allows you to see a wider range of people in society, more people. Someone who does one person an hour can see maybe 30 people a week. I see up to 100. ” Vaughn said.
This type of community acupuncture helps bring in the cost of providing services because Bourne can treat more people at once.
“The patients I see say they appreciate the lower fees. It allows them to see me more often and recover faster.” said Vaughn, who also offers group therapy sessions and herbal medicine treatments.
Acupuncture still costs $50 per person, which is still more expensive than clinics in the South.
Although not the northernmost acupuncture clinic in the world, Vaughan says her clinic is definitely the northernmost regional acupuncture clinic.
“I’ve always been drawn to the North,” Vaughan said. He closed his practice in Kingston, Ont., last January and decided to retire at age 62.
But she didn’t like it.
“I wasn’t completely sold on the idea and had no idea what to do next. Then one of my daughters, who had worked in Cambridge Bay for four years, said we should go north. .”
That’s what she did, and she was lucky. Vaughan replaced Elise Bohemier, a long-established acupuncturist who had built up a large clientele before she left about three years ago.
Her retirement left a demand for acupuncture that remains unmet to date.
“So when I got here, I went all in. I got an appointment before I even got off the plane. I got off the plane at 12:30 p.m. and got my first patient at 3 p.m.” she said.
Vaughn’s acupuncture method doesn’t require patients to take off their clothes, but simply inserts needles under the elbows and knees.
Vaughn has provided 160 treatments so far, mostly to people seeking pain relief.
But Vaughan predicts that more people may develop more mental health problems as “darkness descends”.
“It’ll be interesting to see,” Vaughn said.
